It is well-known that the driver of an automobile has a blind spot to the right rear and to the left rear, over his left and right shoulders, where he cannot see a vehicle in the next lane approaching from behind. He can see the approaching vehicle in the conventional rearview mirror, but as it draws near it disappears from view in the mirror and cannot be seen. If he then turns into the next lane, he may strike the approaching vehicle and cause an accident.
A number of attempts have been made to solve this problem.
Moller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,843, discloses a composite rearview mirror that comprises three substantially flat mirror segments, including a central mirror segment for viewing the area directly behind the vehicle, a left mirror segment for viewing the area to the right rear of the automobile, and a right mirror section for viewing the area to the left rear of the automobile. However, the Moller arrangement is more complex than the present invention; it provides three mirrors instead of one; and it may be somewhat confusing since the right mirror section reflects the left rear and the left mirror section reflects the right rear.
Lenta, U.S. Pat. No. 2,649,028, provides a rearview mirror for use on automobiles and the like which includes three independently adjustable viewing faces. This device is also more complicated than the present invention and provides three separate mirrors instead of one.